The Berlin Kebab Guide

The Berlin Kebab Guide: Turkish food in Berlin is immense. Here is a guide on the best kebabs Berlin had to offer me

I spent 2 wonderful months living in Berlin in the summer of 2011. The first impression of Berlin is rawness – a concrete jungle in many parts. It is not quite the gleaming capital you might expect. Beyond the central area “Mitte”, many parts of Berlin have a boom and bust tale. Some parts in the East haven’t improved too much since the fall of the wall, while some parts of the West lost its glamour after the fall of the wall. The reunification resulted in Berlin paying a price – with the civil servants on both side of the wall suffering the most. Berlin today is recovering from the headache in the 90s. It is recognised as one of the great internet start-up hubs in Europe – home to the likes of Rocket Internet who incubated Groupon and Ebay clones in Europe. While unemployment still stands high around 13%+, there is a fledgling scene of music, art and culture – driven by a large left wing population. Every night there is a new art opening, a club opening here and there. It is a welcoming and unpretentious city. Members of my language class were turned down from visiting some clubs for being too smartly dressed, looking on in confusion as bearded and scruffy men take their places (poor but sexy was the motto).

Germans love their kebabs, even in the conservative Bavaria area. The kebab capital is Berlin. It would be unfair to recommend a trip to Berlin without tasting Kebabs. Legend has it the Doner kebab was invented here by Turkish immigrants. Doner kebabs have been much abused outside Germany. In England, it is the food of choice for wasted revellers late at night and synonymously linked with morning after Diarrhoea. In France, the kebabs were not too much better either. The Doner kebab is supposed to be a rotating spit of pressed marinated meat. Low quality Doners use cheap quality meat and skin, minced and binded with filler (see pic on below right ). Go to Berlin however, and you can glimpse the Doner in its original beauty (in a wrap, see pic on below left). The most popular Doner kebabs you will see are Chicken and Beef (also called Huhn or Rind Schwarama locally), although you may be lucky to taste Veal or Lamb too. The Doner kebab can be served either in a durum wheat wrap (“Durum” as the locals would say) or a round bread bap, along with sliced cabbage, tomatoes & other salad vegetables, and sauces such as chilli and yoghurt.

Doner Kebab in Durum Wrap, from Berlin

Doner Kebab and chips, from an unamed place in the UK

What’s great about a Doner kebab?

So let me start by stating my preconception of kebabs prior to moving to Berlin: the English offering was shaved, salty pieces of undistinguishable meat strips served with chips and drowned with chili sauce. It wasn’t a meal which had me coming back for more. When my girlfriend Nena, who grew up in Germany, spoke of her loving and excitement to be have a kebab in Germany again after a long absence, I was somewhat horrified (especially if this was to be a regular experience). Nevertheless, I promised to be open minded (although a voice in the back of my head gave frequent warning bells) and allowed my first meal in Berlin to be a kebab. Nena and her sister Kika took us to the Rosenthaler, our local Turkish café for my first experience, of a chicken Schwarama in a Durum wrap. It was so fucking good that I had to order a second one straightaway.

A good Doner kebab sandwich should have a good mixture between the meat and the other fillings – your sandwich will be heaving with fillings, but less than half of that will typically be the Doner meat. I like the Durum wrap because the wrap reminds me of pancake for Beijing Duck, and you don’t get a mouthful of bread to distract you from the delicious fillings. The crunchy cabbage gives a good contrast to the tender meat. The actual flavour from the kebab meat should not be overpowering – the flavour should come from the sauce such as chilli. Without sauce, the sandwich can be a bit dry, so make sure you ask for lots of sauce.  Don’t expect plates or cutlery if you order the sandwich version– it is best eaten with hands!

In the two months that I spent in Berlin, I ended up having kebabs nearly every other day for lunch. The impact on health is actually not as bad as you think vs a burger/pizza meal, while there is also a considerable amount of fresh vegetables in a Doner sandwich.

What to Pay

As a rough guide, a Doner sandwich/durum wrap from a hole in the wall will sell from EUR 3 upwards. In general, I haven’t been desperate enough to eat from a hole in the wall, because there are usually sit down places that are open even in the small hours. A Doner sandwich/durum wrap from a Kebab house with sit down areas will be from about EUR 4 upwards. When ordering a plate of the good stuff (Doner Teller), you can be expected to pay around EUR 9 upwards. The bread element is replaced with rice, and you are served an assortment of salad and pickles.

How do I tell a good Doner kebab from bad?

There are numerous kebab houses and shacks in Berlin – how do you determine the quality and ensure you are having a good one? Here are some of my tips:

1.       Look for Turkish customers consuming. They know quality!

2.       Look at the quality of the meat. For chicken, you should definitely be able to make out the stack of different strips of chicken meat. It is a bit tricker when it comes to beef –on a good Doner you should be able to make out the different stacks. I generally avoid anything that looks too uniform in texture.

3.       Look for the moistness. There should be some juice oozing from the kebab. Looking dry and miserable? It has perhaps sat there a bit long.

4.       Try and ask for the kebab fresh off the spit, not from the heated container (when customer flow is low, they would shave off the outer layer and keep it warm, to prevent the outer layer from being too dry)

5.       Let your nose and eyes guide you. You should smell good seasoning (mixture of cumin and other spices). If it smells bland, looks grey then it is probably a low quality doner.

6.       Look for an appetising selection of fillings to go with the kebab – fresh chopped salad items, lots of sauces etc.

Other things to look out for in kebab houses
No one can eat Doner kebabs every day...there are so much delicious items in Turkish cuisine it would be a crime to only eat Doner kebabs. Here are some of the other things you should try in Kebab houses:

·         Cop Sis: Skewered lamb grilled on charcoal, or lamb shish kebab as we call it back in England

·         Adana Kebap / Kofte: skewered ground meat of lamb or beef. Adana comes in a long sausage shape and Kofte resembles a meatball

·         Pide: An semi open pizza, with egg, mince meat and spinach as typical fillings

·         Lahmacun: a Turkish pizza with tomato, mince meat, onions…typically without cheese
********************

Here’s my shortlist of Kebab houses / Turkish restaurants in Berlin

<<<Top places>>>

Hasir (http://www.hasir.de/eng/index.html): This is the legendary birthplace of the Doner Sandwich. Now expanded into a 6 restaurant strong chain, with a sizeable menu. The focus has somewhat moved away from just Kebabs, to providing an authentic Turkish experience – the grilled meat and meatball main dishes are excellent (especially the lamb dishes), and there’s a wide range of appetising mezzes. At the original Kreuzberg restaurant, a takeaway section still remains. Hasir is highly recommended for introducing your friends and family to Turkish food, but if you are adventurous and seeking a pure Doner experience…try the others listed below.  

The original and flagship Hasir restaurant is in Kreuzberg: Adalbertstr.10, 10999 Berlin. Nearest U-bahn: Kotbusser Tor

Beyti @ Hasir: A delicious grilled minced lamb dish

Maroush (http://www.maroush-berlin.de): Just across the road from the original Hasir is Maroush. More Lebanese than Turkish, we like Maroush for its twist on the Doner: it puts potato fries as well as fried vegetable into the Doner sandwich (in a Pita bread). Maroush also does nice falafels. The size of the place is small, with only 5-6 tables, but there’s a nice nearby open air cinema (in the summer) and park for you to take your feast to, if you make it that far.

Maroush: Adalbertstr. 93, 10999 Berlin. Nearest U-bahn: Kotbusser Tor

The chicken done @ Maroush. See the stacked texture...real meat!!

A kofte plate @ Maroush : who says this can't be a healthy meal?

Tekbir Doner (Veal): It’s great to see some variations to the kebab, and Tekbir does amazingly well with its signature Veal Doner. From the outside, Tekbir looks like cheap and non-descript, with two weathered benches on the outside. A taste of the delicious veal meat makes up for this – with its rich aroma, and copious amount of complimenting sauce. 

Tekbir: Skalitzer Straße 23, 10999 Berlin. Nearest U-bahn: Kotbusser Tor

The veal durum @ Tekbir: not your normal kebab

Rosenthaler: Special mention to our local favourite kebab house. The Rosenthaler sits at a busy junction and was where I had my first chicken schwarama. They do a great Durum wrap – moist chicken meat, tasty salad and great selection of condiments. Simple, effective and keeps me coming back for more. They also have a brick oven, where they make their own Pide before your eyes – a sort of semi open pizza.

Rosenthaler Grill und Schlemmerbuffet: Brunnenstrasse 2, Rosenthaler Platz, Berlin. Nearest U-bahn: Rosenthaler Platz

The chicken durum wrap from Rosenthaler: crunchy, succulent and addctive

Gel Gor: I never got the chance to visit this, but this is highly rated – with Kofte meatball sandwiches as the house special.

Gel Gor: Kottbusser Damm 80, Neukölln/Kreuzberg. Nearest U-Bahn: Schoneleinstrasse

<<<<Other places to mention:>>>>

Tandir: Out in the sticks in Hermannstrasse/Neukoln district, there’s not really much reason to visit this Turkish area, unless you want some cultural experience. Among the several kebab houses in the area, Tandir stands out. The Doner wrap here is filled with pickled vegetables, chillis and they also use a distinctive dill yogurt sauce. The top picks here are the kofte meatballs / lamb chops, done wonderfully over the charcoal grill. There are Turkish bakeries close by, where you can pick up fresh sesame bread, Pide and sweets such as Baklava.

Tandir: Hermannstraße 157, 12049 Berlin. Nearest U-bahn: Hermannstrasse

Ali Baba: According to locals, Ali Baba once did great kebabs but has now dropped down in quality slightly. With it being only a stones throw away from my language school, I did get to visit Ali Baba a few times for a Doner lunch. Disappointingly, it felt somewhat average but good for a fix if you are in the Prenzlauerberg area (such as to visit Mauer Park or try the famous currywurst shack nearby).

Ali Baba: Danziger Strasse 2, 10435 Berlin. Nearest U-bahn: Eberswalder Strasse 

The counter at Ali Baba

Baghdad: A huge menu to explore here, and reasonably good durum wrap at sensible prices. It has a large seating area which makes it an ideal choice for large group gatherings. It is also close to the river – grab a few beers from the drinks fridge and take your food down to the river bank on a nice day. 

Baghdad: Schlesische Straße 2, 10997 Berlin. Nearest U-bahn: Schlesisches Tor

An mixed grill plate @ Baghdad

I can’t claim that this is a definite guide to the Berlin kebab scene. I have only been to a fraction of the thousand odd kebab places in Berlin: There’s a kebab shop on almost every street corner in Berlin, so there’s lots to explore, and their appeal just keeps spreading. Go and see for yourself. And you might never want to eat a kebab outside of Germany again.

Strange tastes

Eating for me is an adventure. My Asian heritage means my palettes are more adventurous than most Brits (England is my place of upbringing), but by Asian standards, I am an unseasoned adventurer. Nevertheless, I've eaten strange things over the years and here's my highlight. 

Oxtail

Tail and feet: I’m a big fan of oxtail, which I believe should be used more prominently. Oxtail stock (simmered with tangerine skin) makes a great base for noodles. My parents like to eat pigs' feet occasionally (some local butchers in the UK even give it away for free). I prefer pigs' feet to chicken feet. While the latter seems to be more fun to play with and to scare guests, just chewing on skin and tendon gets a bit boring. Pigs’ feet at least have some meat. The best way to cook these animal feet would be to gently simmer for 2-3 hours with salt, pepper, ginger/cardamom, salt and a splash of brandy (but first soak and then scrub clean). Then cool overnight and serve with chilli dipping sauce/soy sauce.

Duck Tongue

Things off the face/head: Mammal tongues are a bit challenging visually, but when sliced it makes for a good interesting sandwich filling. Duck tongue is quite delicious when fried with chilli (had this in China). I don’t really rate ears – my mother cooked pig ears a few times. It is just cartilage and skin. My closing note is that the best cut from the face is the cheek: tender and succulent (my favourite is Salmon cheek meat)

Abalone. Yum

Creepy sea and land creatures: When I was in HK, Geoduck was something regularly seen in tanks at seafood restaurants. It looks like a huge Penis oozing out of a small inadequate shell. It tastes on the other hand, like a chewy mollusc. Another mollusc I had was Abalone. It looks like a Vagina, and is one of the most expensive things you can eat. During my time as a banker I ended up doing due diligence on an Abalone farming business in Southern China. At the farm we feasted on abalone. I didn’t enjoy the wok cooked version – most of the abalone is a rubbery flesh like mussel, with the only tasty bit being the muscular foot. The tinned version, served in a salad, turned out to be much nicer. 

Raw meat: I love sushi and sashimi, and during my time in Asia I expanded my sushi experience to include raw prawns, urchin and octopus. These I loved – especially raw prawns. When I first discovered Pancetta during my student days, I mistook this cut of Italian smoked bacon for ham (i.e. – ready to eat raw). I ate raw Pancetta sandwiches for a few weeks before I discovered my mistake. Yet it was actually quite tasty (although the fat strips were somewhat unsettling). I was probably saved from horrible food poisoning and parasites due to the smoking and curing process. I heard that in Japan they have horsemeat sashimi, and am keen to try this..

Mouldy Goats Cheese

Things we think the French are weird for: Frogs legs are fickly but taste just like chicken, so that’s fine for my palettes. I can only eat snail when it is drowned in something intensely flavourful (i.e. lots of garlic butter). I once tried to do a simple stir fry with snails and the taste of snails on its own was revolting. Of the great cheese in France, there are some which are covered in unappealing mould (Epoisse – which the mould makes the surface look wet and sticky, and goats cheese such as Sainte-Maure de Touraine chevre spring to mind). However, looks can be deceiving – mouldy cheese has the best flavour.  

The final note on this topic is Hashma. This is dried frogs fallopian tubes. Why go to the length to harvest this? To SE Asians, this has apparently beauty benefits for females. One of my former co-workers in HK ordered steamed Hashma in coconut as a dessert during team lunch. I nearly lost my lunch as a consequence.       

Hashma in coconut

Multicultural food in London

Last year I said goodbye to London as my home for the foreseeable future. After 20 years of living in the UK, I was quite ready for a change of scenery. I then spent around 7 months in Hong Kong, before moving with my girlfriend to spend the summer in Berlin, Germany. It will be a while before I return to the UK. There will be fond memories of London that I will leave behind, not to mention close friends who will draw us back regularly to visit.

London is where my tastebuds blossomed and I joined the taste revolution sweeping through the UK. When I came to the UK in 1991, the range and quality of food available to the average family was very different from today. The British were incredibly receptive to the wave of foreign food sweeping the shore and embraced it. What was defined as British food was squeezed out. Look at the demise of the fish and chip shops, the “English” restaurants and the greasy spoons. Like a failing fashion brand, they failed to innovate and keep up with the wave. The ones that remain are kept alive by cult status, while a new wave of British cooks are redefining British gastronomy, injecting life into local ingredients and traditional recipes. London perhaps has seen the most changes; nowhere else can you have such an eclectic range of restaurants and wide selection of food in supermarkets. The average city worker can have Parisian croissants from Paul’s for breakfast, fatty salmon sashimi & wakame salad for lunch from Wasabi, finishing off the day with spicy Sichuan at Ba Shan for two, without wincing too much at the wallet.

I can draw many parallels between London’s cosmopolitan population, rich range of cuisine and food culture with New York. I found Hong Kong citizens very food orientated, but a main part of the focus is on local Chinese cuisine (and I can’t blame them). Immigration policies at the end of the day, influences heavily the diversity of a country’s cuisine. We have the Labour Government to thank for opening up Britain’s doors, making Britain an attractive place for others to come and bringing their food culture in the process. Let’s hope this stays.

So what are the non-British restaurants in London that I’ll miss the most? Here’s my top five pick of tasty and unpretentious ethnic places you might enjoy going to regularly:

Chinese: My Old Place / Lao Di Fang (88 Middlesex St, Liverpool St.). Fiery Sichuan food served by unhappy squawking waiters with broken English. No air conditioning, cash only and smelly bins outside its entrance. Ok not the best picture painted. However, step inside though to see an almost all Chinese clientele: they know good Chinese food. Now you know it. Go for the Water boiled fish (Poached fish pieces swimming in a bowl of fried chilli peppers and oil, a Sichuan classic) and Grilled lamb skewers. The original branch is found in Bethnal Green, and is basically a converted terrace house. Don’t worry if the waiters seem peed off or rude. They’re just disappointed at the scoffing of such good food. It’s like the Carling beer advert slogan from the late nineties: So good that the Danes hate to see it leave.

Lebanese: Yalla Yalla (1 Greens Ct, Soho). Super tasty and cheap Beirut street food served in the heart of Soho. The place only has a few tables and doesn’t take bookings. Be prepared to queue at busy times, but take a bite to see why: quality Meze plates as well as tasty Shawarmas will have you hooked. Wash it down with some fresh mint tea and homemade baklava.

Vietnamese: Cay Tre (301 Old Street). Cay Tre offers beautiful Vietnamese food to grab before stepping over to Hoxton for the evening. But beware: Lotus stem salad, slow cooked Mekong catfish in clay pot and stewed Saigon torch roast pork belly might put you in such a bliss that you might just want to go back home and pat your tummy for the rest of the evening.

Japanese: Bincho Yakitori (16 Old Compton Street). Bincho Yakitori serves delicious Japanese bbq skewers. Prices per skewer start from around £2. A great place to stock up on food pre-going out. Do try the Quail egg & Pancetta, Pork Belly, Shitake skewers and Deep fried chicken with Ponzu. The sake menu here is also great – when ordering a bottle of sake, the sake will be served in a sawn off sake box. The sake is deliberately overpoured so that it overflows from the glass into the sake box. You are supposed to drink this at the end as the run-off takes on the flavour of the box.

Chinese: Silk Road (49 Camberwell Church Street). The second chinese restaurant on here is Silk Road, a Xinjiang restaurant in Camberwell. It's not a fancy place - you sit on benches, and some of the dishes you will eat by hand. However, the big plate chicken, dumplings and kebabs make this place more than worthwhile to visit. Portions when this place first opened were enormous, the owners now have cut back on the sizes to more sensible amounts.

The following didn't make my top five, but it is worth mentioning:

Colombian: Assenheims 56 (24 Copthall Avenue).This is located in the city near Moorgate. You wouldn’t read about this place in a restaurant guide. You would only hear about it by word of mouth from other city workers. The chef here is fondly referred to by city workers as the Chicken Nazi, and the cafe name rarely referred to. This place only serves lunch Monday to Friday, and has quite a cult following.

There are only 3 seats so most people grab and go. Aside from the house special, you can also buy sandwiches and some other Italian food like pasta and lasagne. That's not why people go to Assenheims though. Assenheims is essentially a one-trick pony, from about noon every day, people queue up patiently for the house famous Colombian grilled chicken and rice combo dish. Catch the Chicken Nazi on a good day and he will shout for which sauce you want while pointing at you with a meat cleaver. He then proceeds to effortlessly chop your freshly grilled chicken into pieces. Dither too long or ask too many questions and he will easily boil over and explode into a rage. Don’t pull questionable faces at the food, don’t ask to pay by card and don’t stare him in the eye. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a rainmaking Managing Director for an investment bank: to the CN, you’re just a turd who wants feeding. Legend has it that the chipped tile above the door frame is due to a flying cleaver directed at an analyst who wanted the chicken skinless.

Ok enough scaring you now. Let’s talk about the food. Grilled and chopped boneless chicken (marinated in a special recipe with lime and coriander) is served on a bed of rice and salad. It is best to go for all the sauces (coriander, spicy Tabasco and a yoghurt sauce). The chicken meat is tender and the crispy skin carries a great tangy flavour which is released into the rice. For a city lunch packed to go, it is relatively high priced (£8), but worth it in flavour and in quantity (if you finish the whole tray, a food coma will likely onset in the afternoon).

Oh I forgot to say, the rest of the staff in the cafe are actually pretty fun and dance along to background Latin music while working.

Other good ethnic eats: Tayaab (Curry), Maroush (Lebanese), Minqala (Iraqi), Ba Shan and Ba Shu (Sichuan), 

Life in Hong Kong

Life in Hong Kong

I was sent to Hong Kong for work at the end of 2010 and spent 7 months there in the amazing city - a mixing pot of cultures living side by side: Europeans, Chinese, Americans, Indians and South East Asians. It took me perhaps 1 month to adapt to living here. I missed cheese, wine and Mediterranean food. I am ethnically Chinese, yet found the local Cantonese cuisine very heavy (relative to the cuisine of my ancestral home in the North East). Hong Kong was grey, with little sunshine and smoggy. But soon, as I grew accustomed to the culture and made a new circle of adventurous friends, both local and expat. With them, I got to know the heart of HK culture – food.

Breakfast during the week was usually a simple affair, if I wasn’t gorging on the tropical fruits in my fridge (how I miss the mangoes, watermelons and mangosteens), I would grab something on the way to work. occasionally I would visit one of the bakeries on Gage Street in Soho, along the trudge down the escalator for some Cantonese cakes (goes well with black sesame soya milk from 7-Eleven); and also maybe the Cantonese versions of croissants they churned out (less butter, so better conscience, but often stale). Occasionally I would also mix with the locals at Lan Fong Yuen (2, Gage Street) for a fried egg sandwich, and muse at the locals slurping away at macaroni and spaghetti hoops (both look like they came straight out of the can) so early in the morning.

I didn’t have too much time for Lunch due to the demands of work. Initially I flocked to Pret a Manger (IFC) for comfort. Sandwiches almost up to the UK standard. But then I got bored of the substandard bread. I discovered Olivers(Princes Building), City Super (IFC) or 360 (Landmark) for fresh Sushi, or some takeaway hot meals (Olivers does a good pasta/roasted meat takeaway option). 360 was a food hall offering cuisines from around the world (but limited authenticity, apart for the South East Asian food). For hot meals, I would usually head to SimplyLife (IFC), with a limited but delicious range consisting of tofu, bbq meats and stir fried greens. SimplyLife’s sandwiches are also highly recommended, especially for the Vietnamese Pork baguette (bread made with rice flour). However, the queues here stretch far outside the shop into the mall if you arrive after 1230 on a workday.

But Hong Kong is all about eating out. I looked forward to the evenings and weekends where I would go out and explore the range on offer. Here’s my favourites in addition to Hot Star and Tuk Tuk (already mentioned):

· DinTaiFung (TST): The best Shanghai soup dumplings. Can take a while waiting, but well worth it. Soup dumplings with a twist – fusion flavours such as truffle can be had. I had experimented myself with fusion dumpling fillings before, but this place really showed it in style.Image below: DTF's famous dumplings

· Wang Fu (LKF): Dumplings hand made to order, Beijing style. Ok – not soupy works of magnificence like DinTaiFung, but equally great. This to me is more comfort food that my relatives would make back in the North of China. A quick, informal meal – and don’t be shy to rub elbows with the table next to you. Take also the smacked cucumber, the shredded pork in JinJiang sauce with wraps and the DanDan spicy noodles.

· HotPot Super (MongKok): If you’re heading to the temple street market, then do drop by here for awesome all you can eat hotpot on the cheap. A plethora of meat, seafood and additional things to choose from. HK has plenty of more upmarket hotpot restaurants with more exotic options, but this offers great value and an introduction to Hotpot. Image below: two bubbling hotpots

· Rainbow (Lamma Island): A favourite of ours for afterwork on a weekday night was to catch the Rainbow restaurant shuttle boat and have seafood dinner. The shuttle boat is free if you eat at Rainbow restaurant. Get a group together, call ahead to make sure the shuttle is running, and take a six pack of beer for the 45min ride across the HK harbour. Timetable for the ferry is available by clicking the rainbow hyperlink.

· Yau Tong for seafood: For seafood enthusiasts, Rainbow on Lamma island is probably a bit overpriced and doesn’t have the widest range. My favourite was restaurants in the Yau Tong area – a bit of the way on the Kowloon side, but offers you the best deal (HK locals tend to come here). My favourite was Golden Ocean, but avoid the Lobster in cheese sauce. An overkill of butter/cheese sauce meant that attempting to eat any more than 2 pieces and you would get nausea from the sauce, ruining what otherwise was a very nice lobster.

· Sai Kung for seafood: If you have guests and want to enjoy a nice day with by the sea, then Sai Kung is probably a more entertaining place. Restaurants have a similarly impressive range of seafood like Yau Tong, but slightly more pricey. The restaurants become cheaper the further you head away from the pier. The best part about coming to Sai Kung is the activities you can do hear: jump on one of the small ferry boats to take you around: A trip to Sharp island is well worth it. You can also walk across the causeway from Sharp Island to Kiu Tau, a small island to the side of Sharp Island when the tide is low, for a bit of peace and quiet (sandals/flip flops recommended as the stones can be sharp). There are also squid fishing night trips from Sai Kung, but as we found out…the waters around HK don’t seem to carry much life! (Although our frustration was somewhat relieved when we found a karaoke system on board the ship). Image below: feasting on crispy squid with friends

· Nha Trang (LKF): Ok it’s now become a chain… but outrageously good Vietnamese food. A favourite place for Nena, my other half and I to visit. The menu is so big that one visit is definitely not enough to sample all the delicious food. My favourites were the Com Tam (broken rice with roast meat) and Cha La Lot Hanoi (bbq pork on fresh Lemon grass skewers). Image below: some delicious dishes from Nha Trang inc the Pappaya Salad

· Ye ShangHai (HK Island, and TST): Fine dining, shanghai style. We did a Chinese new year tasting menu here – gorgeous setting and great service. It is a great place to impress guests and visitors – while the food sticks to the realms of authenticity, and Nena was very happy, I left feeling somewhat overcharged and hungry still. I wouldn’t have minded eating such Shanghai food in a noisy environment with ill tempered waiters, but that’s just because I’m used to it.

· Yung Kee(LKF): The best place for roast goose: so good people can buy pre-packed cuts to take away on the plane…best to book in advance. If you don’t like eating skin..then it’s going to be a waste on you. Forget your reservations about eating fat. This experience is about eating the skin, fat and meat together in one mouthful. The sweet marinade of the skin induces an explosion of saliva as it caresses your tongue. Image below: the roast goose from Yung Kee

There’s probably a few more places I should mention:Sunday champagne brunch at one of the hotels such as the Intercontinental (all you can eat lobster, foie gras, crabs, dimsum and free flowing champage…), beef brisket noodles at Kau Kee, dim sum at city hall…I better stop there as I am rumbling!

Singapore in a weekend - on the bourdain trail

I prepared myself before my weekend trip to Singapore by watching Bourdain in Singapore. I decided before I went that my weekend would only involve hawker markets, the restaurants had no appeal to me when there was so much good street food to be had!

Sweet pork ribs

Fried Garlic prawns

I pitched my accommodation at a Hotel 81 Joo Chiat, in the heart of the Geylang district. Singapore is a funny place. As you arrive at the airport you are greeted with a sign that should you overstay your visa, you will be beaten with a Rattan Cane. Pornography is banned in Singapore yet prostitution is legal. The Geylang area was a hotbed for expats and backpackers to stay: the streets were filled with internet cafes, strip clubs and on every block was also a hawker centre. I arrived late on a Friday night and found myself in a windowless room in Hotel 81 (a decision I regretted the next morning, as I felt like I was sleeping in a morgue). Not wishing to spend much time in the sweatbox I quickly headed out and let my nose direct me. I found a small hawker centre around the corner. There was a few options for the stands: noodles, Italian or seafood. It was open air, the décor was simple: it didn’t look thrilling. I ordered deep fried garlic tiger prawns and pork ribs with rice (see two images below). The prawns were amazing. The shell was crispy, the garlic flavour really penetrated into the succulent prawns and I ended up eating everything – head, shell and all. Such a simple meal with a beer cost me around USD 12, great value!

The next day I decided to check out the fabled Chicken Rice at Tian Tian, Maxwell Road. Bourdain was very impressed by this. I came expecting something rather heavenly but the reality was just a modest dish. That’s what Chicken Rice is: home comfort food. It is what dumplings is to the people of Northern China, what Macaroni Cheese is to Americans and what Pie and gravy is to the British. At first sight, you have fragrant chicken that has been simmered in an aromatic broth. In reality, it is of a torso part (not from the breast/legs) with minimal meat on it, served with some rice and small amount of vegetables (see below). Not exquisite dining, but I can see why Singaporeans might miss this on prolonged absences away from the country. Maxwell road is a good hawker centre with many options and a recommended place to visit.

Tian Tian stand

Chicken rice!

In the evening I went to tackle Sup Tulang (Haji Tadir) at another hawker centre near Geylang. Tulang is lamb bones simmered in a fierce red curry sauce – invented in Singapore by the Muslims from the Indian subcontinent. When Bourdain tackled it, it was a pretty messy affair – eating with the hands so I came prepared with wet wipes. I ordered a bowl of Tulang with some Prathi bread (there were about small shanks), and sat down next to an Indonesian family to eat. It troubled me to define what I was actually supposed to eat – the meat on the bones were rather minimal. Do I tackle the soft cartilage or try and scoop out bone marrow with my knife? Or do I just enjoy the fiery red curry with my bread? I ended up holding the bone with both hands, pulling what I can off with my teeth. My face was smeared with sauce on every contact. Keeping western etiquette was impossible. The Indonesian family next to me observed with keen interest, their rather dignified meal of assorted rice and meat seemed a hierarchy above the madmen next to them chomping away. Eventually I got through all 6 shanks and had used all the Prathis to scoop the sauce up. By this point, I was a sweaty heap – the humidity of Singapore and the curry attacking me with a double edged sword. Emerging from my victory, the father of the family next to me gave me a smile and a big thumbs up. I smiled back. I left feeling that there perhaps should have been a point to eating Tulang – either for meat, marrow, or just the sauce (rich in flavour and marrow), but the particular vendor I ate at only presented the last option. A fun dish to eat with friends and have an adventure over (as long as they dont mind getting messy). Or one to tackle by yourself when no one familiar is watching...

Calm before the storm - Tulang

The carnage

During my final day, I roamed around the markets in the old Chinatown area and then saw the pretty Marina. It was nice and tranquil. A pure hybrid of East and West - Pasta and burger joints in a steamy tropical port. Interesting to see. But didn't have my appetite racing. I headed off once again in a cab to find a hawker market for food. I really craved roast pork. Instead, I found a recently emigrated Chinese couple running a pancake (bing) stand which caught my eye. Simple stuff from my homeland in the North of China: Pan cooked flour buns with chives and egg. Served with some suspicious sausages. My mum hasn't made the buns for years so I really enjoyed them.

Egg and chive buns, with Chinese red sausage

And that was all I had time for. I really liked the place. A jewel in SE Asia 

Fried chicken and me

I’ve always been fascinated by junk food. I come from an Asian culture which didn’t have many taboos on eating, where people eat for pleasure, so I had a pretty open mind regarding food and could empathize with people who crave junk food. After all, junk food creates so much more endorphins for the brain than salad ever could. There’s a show on the travel channel called Man Vs Food and that pretty much sums up my fascination. I like seeing how BAD things can be. My stomach for junk food however is somewhat laughable. I don’t have the stomach to finish a 15 inch pizza by myself or even more than 1 krispy kreme donut in a sitting, nor do I want to be filled up with a fast food meal: I just enjoy sampling everything out there.

Perhaps the junk food I have the most affection for is fried chicken. Fried chicken and I go back a long time. My favourite food memory from my childhood is having an original recipe meal when KFC first opened in China in the early 90s. Back then, the chickens used were raised in good condition. They were cooked tenderly and drained well by an army of proud and adoring workers (or so I like to think). The skin coating/batter was extraordinary in taste and created a permanent foodie memory. 

I’ve not been able to experience the same taste in the KFC shops I’ve been to since. I left China in 1991. When I next returned to China for a holiday in 2001 and tried KFC, it was disappointing and no different to the UK standard. Every time I go to a new country, I wonder to myself what KFC would taste like there, whether it would be as my childhood memory. When I eat a chicken from KFC, I’m not actually bothered about the meat (often grey/ bruised), I’m more interested in the zingy skin coating/batter, and quite happy not to eat the meat. The secret batter mix today is probably very different from the original Colonel’s recipe and dominated by MSG. 

I’ve tried eating fried chicken in Southern/Soul food restaurants. I’ve tried Japanese style fried chicken. I’ve tried recreating the Colonel’s recipe in the kitchen. Sure, the meat is better but the taste of the coating just can’t reach satisfy me in the same way as the taste of the KFC skin. I would love to get my hands on the secret recipe (locked in a secure vault at KFC HQ), and start a more upscale fried chicken shack. 

The Doubledown

In 2010 KFC released the Doubledown in the USA: A breadless sandwich consisting of 2 fried chicken breasts sandwiching cheese, bacon and ranch sauce. The UK press had a field day over this – the product had nearly a full day’s recommended sodium intake. Despite this, it sounded so...amazing. I eagerly followed the Doubledown’s progress and hoped it would withstand the media pressure long enough so I could get my hands on one. In the summer of 2010 I took a 3 week holiday in the US and finally got my hands on a Doubledown meal. It was delicious and the best thing I’ve had at KFC for a long time. Ok so yes, salty, but no more salty than a whole bag of Kettle Chips in one sitting. The chicken breast is very lean and well seasoned, and of course breast is much better than leg / thigh meat. There was no chicken skin, and so the fat content was quite low (less than the fat in a serving of McDonald’s chicken salad). If KFC could have made this with less salt, the RDA stats of this meal would probably be no worse than a portion of Lasagne. I’m all in favour of the Doubledown being rolled out elsewhere – and hopefully Europe.

My Doubledown meal (chicken sandwich on right)

Hotstar

When I moved to Hong Kong in late 2010, one of the first things I tried was KFC (an original meal). It was bad, as bad as it was in the UK. I did not expect Hong Kong to produce any fried chicken to my liking. One night, Nena and I were on our way to an all you can eat hotpot place in Mongkok (a vibrant ex-Triad neighbourhood better known these days for seedy massage parlours, night markets and probably the best street food). As we wandered through the humid streets I suddenly caught whiff of a smell: fried chicken with a smell rather like KFC! There was a street stall (Hotstar) making fried chicken.

Hotstar shack in MongKok (G/F, Tat Lee Building, 2Y Sai Yeung Choi Street South)

Hotstar started life in 1992 in a Taiwan street market and has since opened up a second stall in Mongkok, Hong Kong, and is hugely popular in both countries. It is a very small open-front chicken shack selling only a few products: Fried chicken breast (sliced open in butterfly shape) and fried chicken pieces. No effort wasted on chips or salad. Not wanting to ruin our hotpot meal, I decided to go for the smaller chicken pieces option. It was delicious. The batter was very crisp and tasty. The batter mix wasn’t quite the same as KFC, but it was close, and had a stronger chilli/herb taste. The staff would add some extra powder seasoning to the chicken post frying. I believe it was some close variant of Cajun seasoning. This was the best fried chicken ecstasy I’ve had since that first childhood KFC meal.

I was very impressed and came back a week later to get my hands on the house special – the chicken breast. I ordered a mixed seasoning version (Cajun + Chilli powder). The size of the chicken breast escalope was very impressive – and made you wonder what size chicken it came from. It was way larger and thinner than a standard butterfly breast. Maybe they made two butterfly cuts on a normal chicken breast. As you see from the picture, the batter texture is breadcrumb like, and the batter is drained very well and retained little grease. It was a humid day and I was dripping with sweat, but I didn’t care. I took my fried chicken into a nearby park and ate it there in the sweltering heat, gasping from the fire of the chilli and the tongue burning heat of the just-fried-chicken. There were other people sat there, furiously devouring chicken as well. Our eyes met and heads nodded in appreciation. When I was done, I felt great. I felt like I made great progress in my chicken quest, and no longer had to lament the inability to relive a childhood experience. I was free to move on.

The Hotstar chicken breast

So who would have thought it: my best fried chicken discovery of recent years in one of Asia’s more eyebrow raising areas. Do visit Hotstar if you pass through Taipei / Hong Kong, and do try the Doubledown if you are in North America. And if someone wants to join me in burrowing into KFC HQ...do let me know.

Crispy ground catfish / Yum Pla Fu

Ok, so this is my first post. I want to share the most mesmerising dish that I've ate. Something which makes my tongue tingle when I think of it. Something which has me beaming with delight when I eat it. This has to be Crispy Ground Catfish, (catfish substituted with any other suitable fish is also acceptable), a Thai dish that I first tasted at the legendary Sripraphai in Woodside, New York City. This dish is extremely hard to find and when you do find it, make sure you stuff yourself, for the next helping could be some time away.

I arrived in NYC for my 8 week analyst training with an un-named investment bank back in September 2007. USD/GBP was around 2.0 and good food in Manhattan was easily affordable. Stepping out of Manhattan was something I hardly considered given the rich pickings within. For my first meeting with my cousin Dave I was taken to Woodside in Queens, out of the comfort of Manhattan, on a 45min subway journey. I wondered what on earth would be worthwhile in this area to visit: Woodside was a beaten neighbourhood. We walked down a few streets of dilapidated bungalows and townhouses with steel fences protecting overgrown yards and abandoned toys. It smelled of poverty. Amidst all of this was Sripraphai. It didn't look elaborate inside, but it was inviting. Simple yet sufficient. A place which lets the food do the talking. Dave proceeded to order an enormous number of dishes of mouth watering Thai food. I had never had it so good. In the middle of the orders was dish A-7, Crispy Ground Catfish.

Crispy ground catfish (Bottom left) @ Sripraphai, 2007

This dish requires some preparation (check out Sheshimmer's recipe). Essentially, one needs to prepare dehydrated Catfish meat flakes (shred/ground pre-cooked catfish meat, then dehydrate it). The flakes are deep fried and gathered into a "nest" shape, then served with a spicy mango salad (with sweet lime juice dressing). The taste and texture of the deep fried fish is quite exquisite. Texture wise it is like biting through crispy batter, except the batter is made of fish not flour. The tangy lime juice complements the meat, it soaks through the meat and each bite releases more of the tangy taste. I was blown away by the experience at Sripraphai and gained a deep respect for Thai cuisine.

After my stint in NYC, I returned to the UK and was unable to find the crispy ground catfish dish anywhere. This may be due to catfish not being as readily available in the UK, or a lack of decent Thai restaurants altogether. I was unable to introduce the catfish dish to my supper club buddies Fig, DMP Woodward and Burnley. They had all heard my deep, almost religious praising of Sripraphai everytime NYC was mentioned. I was desperate to show them.

Three years passed without sight of this elusive dish, until the supper club gang found themselves all in NYC at the same time for work. The eating itinerary was well planned in advance by Fig. Among exquisite experiences to be had at Momofuku, Le Bernadin and other haunts, we also dedicated a special slot for Sripraphai. We visited on a sunny Sunday evening, taking the option of dining al fresco in the back garden. The catfish arrived and got the approval from the gang. However, I was slightly disappointed in the portion. Sizes clearly had shrunk, what was a main dish portion back in 2007 had been chopped down to the size of a starter plate. After three years of anticipation, the climax was not all I envisaged. It was good but not quite like I remembered it. I was slightly embarrassed and apologised to the gang as it had not been the heavenly manna I promised (yet still a delightful experience). Why was the portion so much smaller? Maybe Sripraphai had hit its peak and was getting tired. It still however, is excellent value for money, and as popular as ever (check out the reviews in the NY Mag and NYtimes etc).

Crispy ground catfish @ Sripraphai, 2010 (on right, note smaller size. Supper club started devouring before pics were taken)

At the end of 2010 I transferred to HK for work. During my stay in HK I had the delight of sharing a flat with MB, a fellow foodie who also got me into Bourdain's travel shows. MB had heard great things about Tuk Tuk (Graham St), a tiny Thai restaurant in the heart of Soho. The signature dish here was seafood curry served in a pumpkin. As we glanced over the menu I noticed that one of the house specials was Yum Pla Foo, described as a deep fried pounded red snapper. I immediately knew we hit the jackpot. The dish was huge in size. Tuk Tuk's version was not as electrifying as Sripraphai's in taste, but the quantity was more than generous. I think the difference is down to a superior lime dressing at Sripraphai which soaked through the meat. Tuk Tuk's Red Snapper version was nevertheless, worth every penny and gave me gratification. I also have to note Tuk Tuk's seafood curry was very tasty as well. The pumpkin in which the curry was served in was cooked perfectly. The moist, sweet flesh a perfect counterbalance to the fire from the curry.

Yum Pla Foo @ Tuk Tuk, 2011 (Red snapper instead of catfish)

I made a trip to Thailand during my stay in Asia but did not see a similar ground fish dish on the menu. Maybe the catfish dish originates from further inland, given catfish is a freshwater fish. Having returned back to Europe (I'm based in hip Berlin for the summer), my chances of seeing this in a local restaurant is extremely slim, so I'm going to recreate this in my own kitchen sometime. The cooking steps involved are tricky, and finding catfish is also a challenge. I think I might be able to get away with using the more commonly sold mahi mahi/tillapia fillets instead of catfish.